Russian Youth Hockey League (MHL) team “Riga” on Wednesday lost in the first of two games on their field against St. Petersburg “SKA-1946” team, with two substitutions unable to maintain a 2: 0 lead
The people of Riga gave up “SKA-1946” in their field with 2: 4 (0: 0, 2: 2, 0: 2).
The home team scored 2-0 in two substitutions. In the 24th minute, after the passes of Nikita Matejko and Denis Fyodorov, Jānis Švanenbergs got the puck into the goal from the front of the goal. A minute and seven seconds later, in another counterattack, Patrick Zabusov won the puck in his zone, disarming the opponent, who slipped to the right throw-in of the opponent’s zone and beat the away goalkeeper – 2: 0.
In the middle of the period, the guests played for minutes and 16 seconds, scoring the first goal when the puck after the rebound had reached the guest striker in front of an empty goal – 2: 2.
Two more away goals in the majority in the 46th minute and in equal matches in the 50th minute gave the St. Petersburg hockey players a victory.
Due to the limitations of Covid-19, Rigans played in two substitutions. To relax the players of the field, the Rigans often changed the goalkeepers Bruno Brūveri, who started the match, and Ēriks Vītols. In the first period alone, the goalkeepers were changed twice.
“Riga” with 26 points in 25 games takes the sixth place in the Western Conference, but “SKA-1946” has 17 points in 17 games and the eighth place in the West.
On Thursday, the teams will meet again in Riga.
In the previous two games, Rigans were 4: 2 and 4: 1 superior to Khabarovsk’s “Amursky Tiger”.
Last season’s MHL team “Riga” head coach Raimonds Vilkoits and his assistant Alexander Niživijs joined the Continental Hockey League (KHL) team Riga “Dinamo” coaching staff, while Valērijs Kuļibaba and Sergejs Durdins took over their duties.
Last season, the Riga team took the seventh place in the regular conference in the Western Conference, but in the first round of the playoffs, Yaroslavl’s “Loko” gave up 0-3.
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